Facilitating Earthquake-Affected Rural Women Communities Toward Sustainable Livelihoods and Agriculture

Abstract

Women open school participatory learning approach was used to build up the capacity of 1055 rural women of selected earthquake-affected areas of Balakot, district Mansehra, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in kitchen gardening and off-season vegetable cultivation, integrated pest management, pesticide risk reduction, poultry and livestock management, health and hygiene, and income-generating approaches. Community-based collective learning was found to be effective for changing rural women's perception about pesticides, role in agriculture, home, and contribution to household income as well as in decision making. It also improved knowledge, awareness, confidence, self-awareness, agricultural practices, social interactions, and enhanced motivation for revival of livelihood.

Keywords:

• capacity development
• kitchen gardening
• livelihood revival
• Pakistan
• pesticide risk reduction
• rural women
• women open school

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Food and Agriculture Organization for funding and the Kissan Welfare Association Bahawalpur, Punjab province and National Integrated Pest Management Programme, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad Pakistan for technical support throughout the training period.